Raman Spectroscopic Analysis of a Mid-19th Century Reredos by Sir George Gilbert Scott

A painted stone reredos in the Priory Church of St Cuthbert, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK, was analysed before recent conservation to determine the pigment scheme employed. The screen was created by the eminent British architect Sir George Gilbert Scott in the middle decade of the 19th Century. The results help inform the wider range of palettes employed by British architects and craftspeople working in the 19th and early 20th centuries which have previously been little studied. The pigments generally were high-quality vermilion (red), chrome yellow (yellow), and ultramarine (blue), and several alternatives were also evident such as red lead and haematite for red, bone black, and carbon black for black. Lightening and darkening agents were incorporated as lead white, barytes, and carbon, and pigment mixtures were used to achieve the colours dark blue-red, and green.

Automated summary

A painted stone reredos in St Cuthbert's Priory Church in Nottinghamshire, UK was analyzed to determine its pigment scheme, revealing a range of high-quality pigments such as vermilion, chrome yellow, and ultramarine. The study also showed the use of alternative pigments including red lead and haematite, as well as lightening and darkening agents such as lead white and carbon. The findings shed light on the color palettes used by British architects and craftspeople in the 19th and early 20th centuries.